“Corporate Social Responsibility is a natural impulse to help those in need. It is a spirit of goodwill, expressed in activities that promote social development.” - Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala


For more than 170 years, Ayala has demonstrated unwavering commitment to the Philippines. Its major investments have always been in the country and its business focus has always been on Filipinos. In addition, it has always found it important to engage in businesses that not only create value for shareholders but also result in a developmental impact on society.

Change seekers

The conglomerate as an agent of change works with other change seekers. These include organizations that exert active effort to improve life in the Philippines. They also encompass consumers of Ayala’s services and products, Ayala’s business partners and suppliers, and employees of companies in the group.

Clearly the needs are numerous and varied. For this reason, Ayala focuses on the most effective means and has chosen three “pillars” on which to continue expanding its exercise of social responsibility: education, environment, and entrepreneurship.

Education

Education is one of the most important social interventions in the fight against poverty.

The Ayala group helps improve the quality of life of our nation by raising the quality of education of the youth and strengthening its commitment through building of schoolhouses, supporting feeding programs, and providing scholarships and innovative learning materials. The group has also been a key player in multi-sectoral projects such as GILAS and text2teach which aim to improve the delivery of quality education through information and communications technology.

Environment

Through specific projects in clean water campaigns, waste management and reforestation, Ayala strives to integrate the guidelines for sustainable development in it commercial activities.

The solid waste management program is robust with 70 percent of the Makati central business district’s buildings participating and 98 percent of the merchants in Ayala Center having reduced their residual waste volume. Ayala also maintains 81 hectares of land for reforestation and has planted 7,403 trees in various areas of the country.

Entrepreneurship

Ayala aims to serve as a catalyst for Filipinos’ entrepreneurial spirit by empowering enterprising citizens with the skills and solutions to build up their livelihood. By harnessing synergy among its companies and partner institutions, Ayala is able to provide wholesale loans to community institutions, capacity-building programs, as well as sound business advice and operations solutions to small entrepreneurs.

We ENGAGE.

Employees are partners in the programs’ success. Medical missions, book drives, house- and school-building and improvement, blood donation drives, disaster relief operations and other community development initiatives are made possible by the dedication of Ayala’s corporate citizens. Strategies that further encourage the spirit of volunteerism throughout the Ayala group of companies are developed continuously.

Valued Partnerships

In many of its social undertakings, Ayala collaborates with local and international institutions and government agencies as well as with NGOs, academic institutions, and other business groups. The partnerships transcend individual, parochial, or business interests. These public-private partnerships or social consortia have become instrumental in taking on large issues and pursuing projects of national significance such as Children’s Hour, World Wide Fund for Nature, Habitat for Humanity, and Gearing Up Internet Literacy and Access for Students.

Ayala and its executives have been at the forefront of these partnerships. In truth, for both JAZA and FZA, social involvement is indeed personal. Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala has been one of the moving spirits behind Children’s Hour and chairs the World Wildlife Fund Philippines. Fernando Zobel de Ayala is a board member of Habitat for Humanity International and actively supports its program in the Philippines.

Embedded in the corporate culture

Corporate social responsibility programs are embedded in the corporate culture of Ayala companies so that it resonates with management and staff. It is an integral part of the agenda at the level of the board of directors, at management meetings, and cascaded down to all employees. For more information, visit http://www.ayalasocialinitiatives.com.